$3.5 million Bentley Grand Convertible by Mulliner makes its debut in Dubai

Dubai is one of the few countries where expensive cars are the norm, many of which are specially modified as well. And this just in: Bentley has debuted the new Grand Convertible by Mulliner in Dubai without much fanfare. The said model is housed in Bentley’s largest showroom, and it currently sits beside other members of the family like the Mulsanne, one standard version with another one having the extended wheelbase. Crewe’s latest project may sound familiar to others, and this is because it has already made its debut in November 2014 at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

But don’t get me wrong, the one from 2014 was a concept, which was based on the Mulsanne version, minus the roof. On the other hand, the two-tone example that’s sitting in Dubai right now is a production model that started out in life as a Mulsanne Speed before losing its roof, which was also shortened by a few centimeters - 10cm (3.9 inches) to be exact. Its body has been finished with a predominant Moroccan Blue paint, contrasted with a Frosted Silver finish up front, on the hood. This surrounds the imposing grille as well as the windscreen frame.

But that’s not what the production model boasts of. Apart from the stylish body, it has a large piece of wood applied onto the rear deck like that of the concept we saw in 2014. Shmee says that this must be the largest piece of wood that has been installed on a car ever, and this particular one even comes with metallic fins.

Since it is based on the Mulsanne Speed, we expect it to have the same biturbo 6.75 liter V8 that carries out as much as 530 horsepower and 811 pound-feet (1,100 Newton metres) of torque. So far, Bentley has not shared any specifications with regards to the car’s performance. But then again, luxury convertibles aren’t all about speed or performance but they’re more on comfort or elegance, so it is safe to say that performance figures are not relevant.

For your reference, the Mulsanne Speed can sprint from zero to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in only 4.9 seconds. It then continues on to its top speed of 190 mph (305 kph). Being bulkier and definitely heavier than the Mulsanne Speed (weighing at 2,685 kilos / 5,919 pounds), we doubt that the Grand Convertible can perform as well. It’s also not likely to be as fast.

Mulliner will only build 19 units of the Grand Convertible to keep its exclusivity, and as a nod to Bentley’s inception in 1919. Each of them will come with a price tag of $3.5 million, and the 19 lucky buyers will get their hands on this sometime in 2018 or 2019.